Have you ever walked into a business and knew right away that something was different? Have you met representatives from a company and knew right away that you wanted to partner with them? What is it that makes a business stand out, what is it that draws you in. That thing that is sometimes hard to put your finger on is culture. The use of the word culture, when focusing on business is defined as a way of thinking, behaving, or working that exists in a place or organization.
So how does a company get culture? Well, in a group of people, culture will happen. It will happen naturally or you can be intentional about building a culture that will reflect what you really want. What are ways to go about building culture?
- Decide what is important to you. List out the values your company has, what are the character qualities you are looking for in your employees and management? Do you value hard work, integrity, collaboration? This may take some time and lots of brainstorming.
- Narrow down your beliefs and values to just a few. Although there are many that seem important, which ones are your non-negotiables?
- Be intentional about building in these beliefs and values into all you do in your business. Don't just talk about them. Do them. If trust is highly valued, be trustworthy. Do trustworthy things. Make the choice to be trustworthy in even the little things.
- Choose your employees carefully- based on your culture. There are many highly qualified applicants, that may not fit your culture. If they don’t fit, don’t force it.
- Hold regular activities built into your weekly routine that intentionally focus on culture. Even in the busy day to day operations of running a business, it is important to take time to do the things you value.
- Keep a pulse on your staff and the “feeling” around the business. What tensions are present, how are new employees acclimating and how are veterans holding up?
- Give it time. It has been said that it takes 2 years for a new employee to learn the culture.
Lastly, as you take steps to be more intentional about building culture in your company, remember that it isn’t a one size fits all, step-by-step process. There is a recipe that will work for your company, just remember that part of the process is discovery and the recipe will take some adjusting to fit exactly with your company and your goals.
So, what steps have you taken to build culture within your company? Whether you realize it or not, if you have a company, you have already done things, knowingly or not, to build culture. So take some time to identify them. Put a name to them and access if these are the things you really want to be doing, or if there could be a better way.
We love talking about company culture. The founders and CEOs of Half a Bubble Out made culture one of the priorities in their business. They have intentionally built in activities and language that support this culture. Their employees love working here because of that (and so much more)!!!!
If you are looking for some coaching on how to build a healthy culture in your business, give us a call and we would love to chat and see if we are a good fit for you, and if you are a good fit for us. FYI- that’s another tactic of company culture- that you choose your clients and partners wisely.
